Mortal Kombat - Darkness Descending
by UCryWolFe
Summary: Mortal Kombat! A new spin on a violent round of games, plus a new character thrown in for good measure. That...that's pretty much all I got.
1. Prologue

Prologue: The Rain

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The young blond looked up to the sky and perked a brow at the possibility of rain. 'Rain? Here?' He thought to himself of what it could mean, which was hopefully nothing, but as always….something. Anywhere and everywhere it seemed something bad was going down where he was.

The blond looked to be early twenties and had been told(multiple times, mind you) that he had the looks of an angel. He'd just grin and thank the stalk—person kindly before moving on, though maybe there was a hidden joke in there somewhere that only he got. He wore plain clothes, usually, and really the only remarkable thing about him, aside from his looks, were the tattoos across his body.

Most people never seemed to give the tattoos a second thought, but if one looked close enough then they might see that the tattoos were moving. Slowly, and almost hypnotically.

The blond moved off in the direction of a particular city, grinning to himself as the joke about looks of an angel came back to him. He'd then blurt out loud, "Shut the hell up already!" A strange action given that there was no one around him for nearly a mile.

Still, he'd finally sigh before marching off to the city as the rain finally started falling….


	2. Ch 1: Liu Kang - Into Darkness(Pt 1)

**A/N: Hallo thar yon reader! This is an attempt of mine to write a fanfic for MK. It will contain eventual yaoi and possible yuri(I haven't gotten that far ahead). Go easy as it is my first time writing one of these. I decided I want to do each chapter from the characters POV so expect that. Yep.**

**DISCLAIMER: *insert MK disclaimer about copyright –here-.* The blond character mentioned in the Prologue is mine, though. Even if he is an idiot.**

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Chapter 1: Liu Kang – Into Darkness…(Pt. 1)

A year.

A year has passed since Shao Kahn was defeated.

Liu Kang sighed to himself before shutting his eyes once more. After Shao Kahns defeat everyone pretty much returned to their respective realms. Kitana went to Edenia and would soon become its new queen, Jade(obviously) followed her. Sonya, Jax, and Johnny Cage all went back to Earth realm. Sub-Zero and Smoke returned to their clan. Liu Kang still had Kung Lao for company, but there were days where his best friend was almost asking to get mauled. Today, thankfully, was not one of those days.

Liu Kang was sitting with his legs crossed, in the meditation garden. He'd been trying to clear his head for a while now when Kung Lao suddenly yelled out for Liu Kang, "Liu! Lord Raiden is here to see us!"

That quickly got the warrior monks attention.

Quickly he rose to his feet and within seconds was standing in front of Raiden, bowing to his friend and former mentor, "Lord Raiden, it is good to see you."

The thunder god gave a brief nod before admitting, "I wish I could say the same, Liu Kang. Something isn't right in the realms. The Elder Gods are troubled and have me looking into it, which is why I am here. Have either of you sensed anything as being 'off' lately?"

Both warrior monks stared at Raiden before quickly sparing a glance to each other. Finally Kung Lao spoke up, "Well, there was this strange rain the other day. We had tried to call for you, but you never came." Liu chimed in, saying, "That rain brought a young blond man out of nowhere. He seemed confused. I offered to let him stay with us, but he panicked and ran. We followed him but... Maybe he is what you are seeking?"

Raiden looked between both monks before nodding, "Well, I would say it's a good start. I need to track down this man and see what he knows." Raiden turned and was about to teleport out before he looked back to the monks, "I'm gathering the rest of the Earth realm warriors within the next few days. Please make yourselves ready. I will come get you when it is time."

Liu Kang and Kung Lao spared another glance to each other before looking back to Raiden. Both men bowed as the thunder god teleported out before Kung Lao sighed, "See? I told you it was a bad idea to let that guy go. He's probably working for Quan Chi or Shang Tsung!"

Liu Kang waived off his brothers statements saying, "Lord Raiden never confirmed anything like that. And to make those accusations without at least having given the man the benefit of the doubt could have made things worse. It was a good idea to let the man leave. You saw how panicked he had become when he first appeared."

Kung Lao's lips formed a flat line on his face as that memory came back to him:

*insert wavy flashback sequence thing here*

-Two days ago, in a galaxy far, far-….just the first bit.-

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The rain was somewhat eerie. First, it was bright with not a cloud in the sky, then the clouds began forming out of nowhere. The Wu Shi Academy was not usually fraught with rain but it did help from time to time. Only, this rain was peculiar…

Liu Kang walked outside, standing next to Kung Lao as the watched the rain fall. Liu Kang was about to make a comment to Kung Lao about his hat when the bland –ghosted- in from out of nowhere. Liu Kang had dealt with a lot. Like, a lot a lot. But there were still some things that surprised him. Like how the young man had looked confused, turning around and around as he slowly appeared. Instead of fading out, it was like someone had tuned him in.

Liu and Lao both approached the man carefully, unsure of what to say, and when they heard him speaking it was as if he was addressing someone else entirely.

"Where am I? How did I get here?! Shut the hell up a moment and let me think!" The blond rubbed his eyes before abruptly turning around to see both Liu Kang and Kung Lao. If Kung Lao hadn't adopted a fighting stance, things probably would have been different. Much different. Even Kung Lao himself wondered this(at a later point in time), however it was too little too late. The young man backed up accordingly, not going into a stance of his own, instead trying to put distance between himself and the two monks.

Liu Kang had only just begun to notice that the rain had stopped. It had rained lightly, aside from the intruders surprise entrance, and then Liu Kang got a good look at the young man. Or rather, that the young man didn't seem to have a drop of water on him at all. Intentional or not, Liu Kang also adopted a fighting stance.

The brief interim of silence has the blond wondering what was going to happen, and at the same as the man appeared to be about to say something is when Liu Kang went into his fighting stance.

This abruptly stopped the young man from speaking, even before he got started! However, he knew when things were looking bad. His eyes swapped from one to the other, left to right before about-facing and dashing off from the duo. Liu and Lao both glanced at each other, briefly, before darting after the man. He had seemingly posed no threat, but at the same time there were questions that needed answering.

There was a surprisingly long chase, considering that the monks did not let up for some time. Then again, each time they tried cornering the blond he'd jump right over them, or one time slid right between Kung Lao's legs. This move apparently had Kung Lao flustered, and Liu Kang curious.

Finally, towards the end of the mad dash for freedom Liu Kang started calling out to the stranger, "Wait!" Though, it was obvious by this point that the man simply wanted out. However, where he'd finally been cornered wasn't exactly ideal.

Liu Kang nodded to Kung Lao, before turning his attention back to the man they(finally) cornered. On the roof. High above the ground. Okay, so it wasn't the best situation, but they were making due!

Kung Lao then spoke up, albeit a little harshly, "Who are you? What do you want? You better tell us now, or things won't be so promising…." A glance towards Liu Kang told Liu Kang all he needed to know. Kung Lao was just doing it as a ploy. Sadly, the ploy didn't work. It seemed there were other forces interested in the blond as well.

A portal opened up behind the blond. Liu Kang thought the blond was going to use the portal to escape but the blond hadn't even noticed. Suddenly, a pair of masculine arms shot out of the portal and wrapped themselves around the blonds upper body, effectively pinning him and dragging him through the portal while Kung Lao and Liu Kang watched in surprise.

Liu Kang started to run forward but it was too late, and the look of surprise on the young man's face told Liu Kang that the blond was not expecting a surprise rescue.

Kang looked back to Kung Lao who summed up the situation with two words.

"Well.…shit."

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**A/N: Okay! So, hello, again! I should probably mention stuff about this being my first fanfic, evar. Feel free to leave reviews/comments/suggestions or contributions to the coming gay. I mean man-love. Part 2 should be coming up soon….ish.**


	3. Ch 1: Scorpion - Into Darkness(Pt 2)

**A/N: Hallo again yon reader! I assume you have come back for more, yesh? Huzzah, and stuff. Here's the continuation to the second half of Chapter 1! Hope ya'll enjoy! **

**DISCLAIMER: Me no own the Mortal Kombats.**

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**Chapter 1: Scorpion – Into Darkness(Pt. 2)**

The spectre held the unsuspecting male close, tightly wrapped between his arms. The blond male kept turning his head back and forth, as if trying to see who it was that had him pinned down, sort of. It was then that his captor suddenly set him down, and released him. Scorpion regarded the blond male with little interest, though he did his best to let his features show little in the way of emotion.

The yellow-clad ninja had far more heavily-weighing thoughts on his mind, but when Quan Chi order him to bring back the male, the ninja had no choice to comply. Quan Chi. It made Scorpions blood boil(or –_would_- if the spctre were alive) every time he had to go near Quan Chi. The sorcerer kept delaying what he promised so long ago. He was beginning to have his doubts that he would ever see his beloved clan, wife, and child again.

Still, he'd pull himself from his thoughts before pointing at the man in front of him, "You are being summoned for an audience with Quan Chi. He is requesting your….presence."

The blond seemed confused, and nearly dropped his jaw when he finally turned around to face Scorpion. It wasn't Scorpion who was rendering him speechless, but everything behind Scorpion that had the male thoroughly confused. He seemed to have not heard Scorpion, or just wanted to rush right into the questions. Which he did.

"Where the hell am I? Who the hell are you? Is this hell? Who were those guys? Why were they chasing me all around that place? What—"

By this point Scorpion had grown tired(or irritated enough) to just raise his hand and backhand the male. The male would blink a few times in response before rubbing his jaw, "Ow."

Scorpion didn't see what use this male would have for Quan Chi, but he would deliver the male to Quan Chi, even if the bland didn't want to go. Without bothering to answer the man's questions, Scorpion would simply point off to a ways in the distance, "There. You can have your questions answered there."

Without another word the ninja turned around and started walking. The portal had been opened by Quan Chi himself, but Scorpion was sent as the portal was to the Netherrealm. Logically, Scorpion was the better choice to go and collect the male. And as Scorpion walked he didn't much bother with observing the scenery in the way the male was apparently looking at it. It was obviously his first time in the Netherrealm.

Scorpion stopped when he realized one thing: The male hadn't moved an inch.

The spectre was back in front of the man within seconds, dead white eyes narrowing at the blond as the blond defiantly folded his arms. He did not, however, say anything beyond, "Go away."

Scorpion took two steps back before jabbing a threatening finger at the male, "I'm bringing you to my master whether you want to go or not." His tone suggested the discussion, the very very one-sided discussion, was final.

Still, the male relented, "Go away. If your precious master has need of me then why cannot he come ask me himself? Why does he need to send his attack dog?" That last one really had Scorpion wanting to punch the male. And he was close enough to do just that.

It did seem, however, that the male was not that interested in fighting as he sighed, "Whatever." Scorpion narrowed his eyes once more, but said nothing. He'd just turn around and move in the direction of Quan Chi's fortress, with the blond male walking behind. Scorpion looked behind himself to see that the male was keeping up fairly easily. Wonderful. They would be there in no time.

After that Scorpion didn't much bother to turn his head anymore, as he could easily hear the mans footsteps close behind to confirm the male was still close by. The only time they had to stop was when the male called up to Scorpion, "Hey, uhh….yellow guy?"

Scorpion stopped before whipping around and shouted right in the blonds face, "MY NAME IS SCORPION!" The blond male backed up a step before nodding, "Okay, 'Scorpion'. Is there a restroom around here somewhere? I –really- gotta go pee." Scorpions eyes seemed to become almost slits before he made a circular motion with his right forefinger, "Then turn around and go. And hurry it up!" They were wasting precious time.

The male frowned before taking care of business. Zipping up, he turned back to see Scorpion was still staring at him. "Dude! You were –not- just watching me take a leak, were you?"

Scorpions eyes remained as they were, but there was a hint of frustration in the spectre's voice as he said, "Get moving!" He'd then abruptly turn around and keep moving. The blond apparently didn't know when to take the hint though as he caught up to Scorpion before admitting, "Hey guy, come on. It's okay. I'm gay. Well, except when I'm drunk then I have this odd attraction to breasts. I mean wh—" The blond was cut off as Scorpion had stopped, then moved his left hand out to clamp over the males mouth, "Not. Another. Word." This trip was turning out to be much harder than anticipated on the dead ninja.

Finally, after some threats and a black eye were administered, both the spectre and the blond reached the next point in their trip. Scorpion held out an arm for the man to stop before another portal opened. "Wait, didn't you already me thr—" Again, Scorpions hand found itself clamped on the man's mouth as the spectre glared at him, "Just. Go." He'd then throw the man through the portal, without so much as a warning.

Scorpion stepped through the portal as well, narrowly missing stepping on the blonds hand before moving onward. The blond had landed on his ass, and after pulling back his hand to avoid being stepped on he stood up and dusted himself off. That was also when Scorpion heard the blond mutter, "Welcome to Dr. Creepy's castle." The spectre ignored what was said as he had grown used to traversing Quan Chi's castle, and nothing here frightened him. Or maybe it was being dead and wanting revenge against Sub-Zero for the annihilation of his clan that let him forget fear.

Scorpion practically dragged along the young male along the corridor past guards before approaching the throne room. The doors were closed so Scorpion took the moment to turn back to face the young man before stating, "You will not speak unless spoken to, got it? Master Quan Chi is a man you do not want to mess with." He stared down the blond male for a few seconds more before pushing open the main doors to the throne room. Quan Chi was slowly pacing the room, muttering to himself before looking up to see Scorpion and the young male walking in.

"Ah, Scorpion, you have managed to retrieve our young friend before the monks could hurt him." Quan Chi gave both Scorpion and their new arrival a big, if uncomforting, smile before pulling Scorpion off to the side. He lowered his voice as he murmured to his undead spectre, "How much trouble was he? Did you learn anything valuable?" Scorpion briefly shook his head as he said, "He does not appear to be very bright, but it may yet be a ruse."

They looked back just in time to see the blond facing away from them, looking around the throne room. And of course, scratching his ass, if albeit briefly. Scorpion snorted before muttering, "Maybe it's not a ruse after all."

Quan Chi frowned, however, before moving forward, "Well then young man, surely you have a name, yes?" This appeared to surprise the blond as he stated, "At least –you- have manners." He'd then move to hold out his hand, before thinking better of it. Letting his hand fall back to his side he finally introduced himself, "My name is Jay."

The sorcerer smiled before reaching out his hand, "Well then, Jay, I'd like to welcome you to my home. I hope you'll feel right at home…" The sorcerer kept on smiling as he then snapped his fingers and added on, "….in the dungeon!"

The ground beneath Jay gave way and he fell, shock apparent in his eyes. Scorpion would eventually hear a mute thud before Quan Chi spoke up again. "See what he knows, but don't break him. He may have something valuable we just don't know about yet. After all, the monks want him." Scorpion moved to head towards the dungeon as he heard Quan Chi sigh, "And if not, Reptile could always use a new playmate….."

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**A/N: Well, well! Shocked, right? I'll get better at this, promise! D: Anyway, I'll get working on part three since the story suddenly decided to run longer than anticipated. Read and Review, and stuff!**


	4. Ch 1: Jay - Into Darkness(Pt 3)

**A/N: Finally! End of Chapter 1! ARE YOU EXCITED?! You should be. Oh. Uh. Something about me not owning Mortal Kombat or its affiliates should be in this sentence, somewhere. I think. Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 1: Jay – Into Darkness(Pt. 3)**

Jay woke up, after a long snooze. His wrists were hurting something fierce, but that's probably because they were chained up, and above his head. His eyes fluttered open, and realization struck him quick. Maybe it was the hurting wrists, the hell room where it appeared he had been sent, or that he was hanging over a river of lava and only supported by(you guessed it!) the chains wrapped around his wrists. Dilemmas, right?

He glanced around before seeing the round platform nearby, yet it was what was -on- the platform that had him double-guessing his whole 'Try and swing free!' idea. He wasn't Tarzan, but he wasn't also a complete idiot. The tattoos circled around his arms as he looked up to the chains themselves. It was then that he heard his –oh- so most favorite voice in the world, '**You could easily break out of here with my help, you know. One little task…'**

Jay snorted before nearly laughing, "Keep dreaming. You're staying right where you are. The last time I let you out you—" He was cut off before he could finish, however, by a small burst of flames from the edge of the round platform. The edge he happened to be closest to. It was then that he saw it was Scorpion. Frowning at the yellow-clad ninja he'd then 'harrumph' before going back to struggling against the chains.

Scorpion reached out, grabbing ahold of Jay's shirt before yanking him close. The ninja's eyes were calculating, but oddly he said nothing. Jay finally broke the silence by asking, "What do you want of me? Why am I tied up?" He wanted to ask more questions, but he had a mini-flashback to earlier where(for all intents and purposes) he was bitch-slapped. His jaw shivered as he remembered. Unexpectedly, Scorpion let go of Jay before asking a question of his own. "Who are you talking to? Is it Raiden? Or perhaps one of the Elder Gods?"

Jay blinked a few times before staring at Scorpion as best he could, mostly cause his view was skewered seeing as the chain was turning him back and forth now, albeit slowly. "Wow. That many amount of questions asked at one time really is annoying." Scorpion didn't laugh though. In fact, he looked like he wanted to bitch-slap Jay again. The blond really hoped that that would not be a recurring theme. Jay would stare down Scorpion before Scorpion repeated his question, word for word.

Jay mulled this over silently before coyly asking, "Why are you wanting to know?"

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Jay stared down at Scorpion with his one good eye, frowning the entire time but saying nothing. His other eye was now bruised and barely useful. His shirt he'd been wearing had been ripped to shreds and yet somehow his pants were left alone. Whether that was good or bad he didn't know. Scorpion grabbed the front of Jay's pants, pulling the male close before ripping off what little remained of Jay's shirt. Jay blinked and would have moved away had he any choice. Scorpion then raised a scalpel for Jay to clearly see as he said, "This should get you to open up in more ways than one."

Jays eyes widened slightly before Quan Chi walked into the room. Quan Chi motioned for Scorpion to stop as he approached before he looked to the chained up male. "Have you had enough yet? I would imagine after all this time with Scorpion that you've already been broken." Quan Chi grinned before chuckling lightly to himself. He then noticed something odd. The male had almost no bruises or injuries at all, which was weird. In fact, the bruise on the man's eyes looked to have gone down substantially. Quan Chi frowned before looking to Scorpion, "Where are all the lacerations? You were supposed to break him."

Scorpion merely replied, "He healed. Each and every time he healed in a very short amount of time." Quan Chi thought this over before walking towards Jay, reaching a hand out to run it down Jay's abdomen. "You don't say, Scorpion." Quan Chi lowered his hand and was about to say something else when Jay struck. All that entire time Quan Chi had never noticed that Jay's feet were chained up. Or he was perceived as little more than a threat that his feet were left alone. Bad mistake.

Jay wrapped his legs around Quan Chi's head, almost squishing Quan Chi between his thighs as he near-shouted, "Release me!" Scorpion ran forward and started throwing punches in an attempt to break Quan Chi free of Jay's hold but Jay refused to let go. Finally, Scorpion seemed to give up, but Jay probably did the dumbest thing: He let go of Quan Chi, going so far as to kick the man squarely in the face as he was coughing from having been released.

The kick resulted in Jay swinging back over the lava, so Scorpion moved to block Quan Chi, though he turned his back to Jay, making the notion to check on his master. Quan Chi was about to say something when Jay swung back, wrapping his legs around Scorpion and trying to drag the undead spectre towards the edge of the platform. Scorpion's strength was something of a problem though, as the spectre was fueled by Nether realm energy. Thankfully, it looked like luck was in Jay's favor as Scorpion was pulled off the platform. Jay grinned before boasting, "If I drop you, you'll die. Now let me go!"

Scorpion remained quiet before Quan Chi laughed, "He's already dead. And even if you drop him in the lava, he'd just be reborn, same as before." What little bit of leverage Jay had disappeared. A frown formed on his face before he tested the chains again. The felt a bit looser now. Maybe it was due to Scorpion's weight? Jay decided that if now was ever a time for a stupid decision then…yeah. His hands finally slipped free of the chains and he fell, taking Scorpion with him as he dropped towards the river of lava below. Quan Chi could be heard shouting above, "I need him alive!"

Jay went to punch Scorpion in the head, mostly for being bitch-slapped earlier when Scorpion rather easily caught in. It was then that Jay and Scorpion disappeared in a burst of flames.

Jay and Scorpion reappeared in a pile of intertwined limbs and anger before Scorpion pulled free. Jay looked around to see that they were….outside? Standing up he'd look cautiously to Scorpion before nodding, "I remember our deal. When I find him I will signal you." Scorpions eyes narrowed before he nodded and disappeared in another burst of flame.

Jay sighed before shaking his head. Two hours of pretend torture, well….almost pretend. In that time he managed to get Scorpion talking about his clan. It wasn't an easy feat, either. But Jay did take pity on the dead man.

Jay saw he was near a small village, so he started moving in that direction. His feet dragged along and he was tired, hungry, and could really use some sleep. Today had just been -awful-. Too tired to even complain out loud he'd stumble onward. As he was getting close to the village he noticed a man was standing at the entrance. This was not, however, any ordinary man. There was something unusual about him. Jay then noticed that, aside from the straw hat he was wearing his eyes glowed. The stranger moved forward towards Jay which had Jay stop in his tracks immediately.

The stranger held up his hands before saying, "Please, I mean you no harm."

Jay snorted before waving a hand, "Last time I heard that today I was dropped into a dungeon." He narrowed his eyes at the man before the man retorted, "Well, you are in no danger right now. But I want to take you somewhere safe, if you'll let me."

Jay then stared at the man in disbelief, "What? Are you serious?" He just shook his head before rubbing his temples, "Look, That's all well and good, I guess, but I'm just wanting a place to lay my head for the night right now."

The man smiled at Jay before motioning towards the village, "I have a place for you. I have called friends to watch over you. You need to be kept safe." Jay looked back to the man, wary of the offer before sighing. "What the hell. Worst that can happen is me going back into the dungeon."

The man extended his hand as he said, "My name is Raiden, and there is much it appears that we need to discuss." Jay leaned forward to shake Raidens hand, and when he did Raiden smiled before motioning towards the village again. Jay followed Raiden, mostly quiet at this point, though Raiden did make a note of saying, "When we get to the inn we can discuss what is going on." And that was apparently that. Jay simply nodded to the thunder god before turning to look over his shoulder. He saw a familiar yellow-clad ninja staring him down before disappearing in a plume of smoke.

Raiden didn't seem to notice, but Jay felt more tired that he'd been in a while. He did think to himself though, 'Right. The deal.' His eyes glanced sharply to Raiden before he sighed, mostly to himself. Today truly sucked.

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**A/N: Annnnnnd that is the end of chapter 1! Hope you liked! Read and review, if you'd be so kind!**


	5. Ch 2: Jade - Happenings

**A/N: Well hallo! If you've read up to this point I can only assume you actually like my story. If so, thanks! New chapter! Leave a review if it fancies ya! EXCLAMATION POINT!**

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Chapter 2: Jade – At First Sight

Jade smiled to her best friend. Kitana was feeling weighted down, so the temporary excursion to Outworld was probably something she really needed. Kitana had only just been crowned Queen not too long ago. Still, even when she was crowned Queen Kitana she had already bore so much responsibility. Jade was her faithful bodyguard, loyal to the end no matter what. Jade also knew Kitana was lonely, and that part of her hoped her lover, Liu Kang, would show up, and when he did they could not keep their eyes off each other.

When Kitana and Jade first arrived they were surprised to see they were the first ones here. Raiden had called us to a tiny hotel in a little village in the Outworld. The name Jade could not remember for the life of her, but the hotel was bigger(at least according to Jade) than expected. The village, while pleasant, was by no means modest, or rich. It was just a tiny fishing village with no real attractions. This was perhaps the reason why Raiden called the rest of the Earth real warriors here.

The hotel has a second floor(one of the first things to surprise Jade) and an indoor bathhouse(the next thing that surprised Jade). After unpacking Jade helped Kitana change into something more causal(casual being the operative word) and slipped into a fresh pair of clothing as well. Jades fans were tucked away in in her sleeves, just in case. Time passed by as we waited and more friends showed up. First Johnny Cage, who gave Kitana then Jade a brief hug and peck on the cheek. He also gave them each a signed photograph, though Jade suspected Johnny doesn't realize his photos would only have sentimental value here.

Next Liu Kang and Kung Lao showed up and the queen and her lover then became almost inseparable. Next to show up were Jax, Sonya, and Sub-Zero. Jade smiled to Sub-Zero though he seemed not to notice her. Jade had had feelings for the man some time now, but she does not think he is interested, though when he first smiled to Jade she felt her heart flutter. I left well enough alone for the time being with him, seeing as he was preoccupied with Jax and Sonya over a discussion Jade was not keen to listen to. Jade greeted Kung Lao, who happened to sit next to her and they made small talk for the next hour as the group waited to see who else would turn up.

Eventually Kitana asked Jade if she could fetch her a blanket, which was of no concern for Jade to do. Jade stood, excusing herself and ascended the stairs to their shared room. After finding an acceptable blanket(the queen would have been fine with anything, but Jade had to make sure it looked decent! Plus, it was comfortable) Jade headed downstairs. Jade thought she heard a door closing and mention of Lord Raiden so when she returned to the dining room Jade was pleasantly surprised to see Lord Raiden sitting in her spot. He greeted Jade then offered her her seat back to which she declined. Jade handed over my queens requested blanket before Lord Raiden spoke up.

"Hello to you all, my warriors. It is good to see all of you again. As you know it has been a year since Shao Kahn was defeated, however we all know he is not dead. He is recuperating right now so I do not perceive him to be one for a while." Lord Raiden paused before continuing, "The young man you just met, except you, Liu Kang and Kung Lao, is being hunted by Quan Chi. He has already escaped Quan Chi but you all know that the sorcerer will come for him again."

Kung Lao cut in with a question, "Why is that plague after him? He seems fairly normal to me." Raiden tilted his head towards Kung Lao, and his eyes squinted, if only by a small degree, "Kung Lao, you will not provoke him into a fight. He has done nothing wrong. He was brought here without a choice so it is my job to make sure he stays safe till I discover, precisely, where it is that he comes from." Kung Lao shrunk back, like a child being scolded by an elder. Jade had to suppress a giggle, at that.

Lord Raiden continued on, "I just ask that you keep an eye on him. Quan Chi will most likely be coming after him again, which means he may have Scorpion hunting down his whereabouts." Briefly, each pair of eyes in the room glanced to Sub-Zero, who had narrowed his eyes before remarking, "Then I will make sure the man stays safe, if just to be a thorn in that ghoul's side." Sub-Zero's response seemed adequate, but something felt off. Jade couldn't place her finger on it. Raiden then introduced the young man as 'Jay' before dismissing everyone for the evening.

"There is much to talk about, but that can wait till tomorrow. Right now, everyone should rest. We can discuss more in the morning."

With that Lord Raiden took his leave. Jade moved towards her best friend, casually giving her shoulder a light squeeze before asking if Kitana needed anything before Jade went to bathe. Kitana shook her head no before telling Jade to save some hot water for her. Jade smiled beneath her mask before heading back up to their room. She had thought it strange that the young man-_'Jay. I should make a better effort to remember his name, just in case_-was not in attendance. Jade guessed that he was probably resting, given that he had escaped Quan Chi's clutches.

Jade shuddered as she picked up her towel before moving back into the hallway. She turned around just in time to see a door close down the hall. It was one of the bedroom doors so the royal bodyguard assumed one of the others was heading to bed. Once inside the bathhouse Jade also noticed that there was already fresh, hot water started. Normally she would have assumed someone was in here but the bathhouse was empty. After shutting off the water Jade disrobed and tested the water with her toe. Just the right amount of heat, perfect! She climbed in, even going so far as to take off her mask and lay it with her clothing for the time being.

Jade also let her hair down, which wasn't all that often. She moved to the middle of the bath, then lowered herself enough so that almost every part of her save for her face was covered. Jade left herself soak for a few seconds before sitting up and scrubbing herself. In the middle of scrubbing Jade heard voices in the hall before watching as the door opened. A tall man with his back to me was speaking to…was that…Johnny Cage? Jades eyes went wide and she opened her mouth to stop an embarrassing situation from unfolding, mostly since all the man was wearing was a towel. Before Jade could speak she heard him say, "Thanks for the loaner towel, buddy! I'll figure out the clothing situation later, I guess. Night!"

Then, as if on cue the door shut and the towel dropped. What stunned her was that he had a gorgeous backside. And the strange markings covering his arms, which probably explained why Jade was speechless. Then, when he turned around Jade became even more speechless. She tried averting her eyes, and he didn't see her till it was already too late. Jade is supposed to be poised and a lady at all times, even as a female warrior, but she couldn't prevent the blush on her cheeks. He, too, was blushing and thankfully had the right of mind to snatch the towel up and cover himself. He then flinched, nearly shouted an apology and was out the door before Jade had time to blink.

Jade smiled to herself, thinking, 'At least he shut the door behind him.' She grabbed one of her fans and started fanning herself when the door opened again. This time it was Kitana who was there. She smiled before quickly disrobing and joined Jade in the bath. Jade had to stifle a grin as she informed Kitana, "My queen, I believe I just had the pleasure of meeting the young man we are to be keeping an eye on."

Kitana gave her a confused look before a smile spread across Jades face. "Oh yes, have I a story to tell you…."

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**A/N: Heh. I actually had fun writing this one. Nothing better than a first impression, right? I should probably point out that if you haven't guessed by now, I'm not following any one specific timeline. I'm pulling bits and pieces and just(more or less) throwing them in the air and running with it. Let me know what you think! Also, leave a review if you please. :D**


	6. Ch 3: Sonya - Kid stuff

**A/N: Chapta 3, bitches! Das right. *ahem* Right. Read, enjoy, stuff!**

**Chapter 3: Sonya - Kid stuff**

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Sonya yawned before rubbing her tired eyes. Waking up was always a trying experience. She eventually got out of bed, taking a brief moment to stretch before yawning again. She also cursed Johnny as he had kept following her around all night, like a little puppy starving for attention. Which wasn't all that far from the truth, really.

Thankfully though, she managed to lose him at some point between when he was talking about his next big movie and writing a book. She gave him the slip and -finally- managed to get some shut eye. Sonya walked in on Kitana and Jade bathing, and was practically guilted into bathing with them. She wasn't a lesbian or bisexual in the least, but part of the reason she didn't want to bathe with both of them was that she felt insecure. Their bodies were practically in mint condition while hers(while modest and attractive) couldn't hold a candle to theirs.

"Sonya?"

"Hmm?" Oh shit. Sonya smiled to the both of them but had no idea who just snapped her out of her absentmindedness. It was Jade.

"I had the pleasure of meeting the young man Lord Raiden has tasked us with watching over." Jade almost purred as she said it.

Sonya raised her eyebrow questioningly before Jade continued…

Sonya would be the first to admit that she may not be that girly but she was definitely still a woman. And gossip isn't something that happens all that often when you're surrounded by mostly men. It was quite the revealing story, according to Jade. She almost had a hard time believing it herself. Kitana lightly scolded Jade and urged her not to make it worse on the poor guy, but Sonya couldn't stop from giggling along with Jade.

If it had been Johnny, Sonya would've made him pay. But, as it is, the ladies don't even know the guy. Thoughts on Johnny gave Sonya an idea, though. It was kind of mean, but it would be funny to see how the guys reacted. Sonya told her plan to both women who giggled right along with her. All three of them nodded in agreement and put our plan into action!

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Sonya was busy putting her plan into action, but with as bad as the guys played pranks on each other(and us women) it was time to fight back! And the women were going to hit them right where it hurt.

Sonya smiled as she took the seat next to Johnny. He seemed surprised Sonya had done such, but maybe he was growing on her. Maybe, by a tiny smidgen.

Johnny leaned over and started flirting with Sonya, as per usual, but she didn't mind. She normally tuned him out when he got long-winded but he didn't seem to have that much steam today. If he would just shut his trap long enough Sonya -might- consider him attractive. Might. But he didn't, and now things were just…complicated.

Jade and Kitana soon joined the rest of the group, along with Liu and almost every short of Raiden and Jay. It didn't take long though, especially with Jade and Kitana both sitting to my left. We purposefully started the small talk, murmuring just loud enough about size(though what the size was of specifically was oddly never disclosed). Then, as if on cue, Jay walked in. To say he wasn't handsome would have been a lie. Sonya had to work not to stare when she saw him. He blinked a few times, gave all of us a general nod before moving off for the kitchen.

As soon as he was out of earshot Jade let out a long, slow breath before whispering something to Kitana. Sonya was on the lookout, and first came Johnny. She flashed him a pretty smile but could tell he was curious of what was being said between my two female friends. Sonya then leaned forward, mostly pretending to be reaching for more water, and quickly snuck a peek at the other guys around the table. From the expression on each of their faces one could tell they were a bit….nervous. Perfect.

Sonya then leaned to my left and nodded as Kitana muttered something to her, before covering her mouth with a giggle. This actually reminded Sonya of high school, go figure!

Jay reappeared, the door from the kitchen opening, and then without warning from Jade, "Jay, I want you to know that you should not be ashamed to be well-endowed. Most women and some men in Edenia would be grateful to have you as a husband."

Silence.

Someone(possibly Johnny) coughed lightly before Jay nodded stiffly, then said, "I will, uh, keep that in mind, thank you." He'd then give an awkward smile before stepping back and closing the kitchen door. His face was bright red. All the other guys at the table were either suddenly really hungry, or pretending they did not just hear what was said. Even Sonya had to glance to Jade with a curious eyebrow. She returned Sonya's look with a helpless shrug that basically said '_Too much?_'

Sonya gave a light shake of my head before excusing herself from the table. She decided she better do damage control, mostly since it was her fault there was now this lingering awkwardness. Sonya stpped into the kitchen, ready to mend fences when she noticed that the man she was supposed to be apologizing to wasn't even there. Aside from an untouched bowl of oatmeal, he wasn't in the kitchen. Sonya then spent the next ten minutes hunting him down, going from room to room but each room turned up empty. A walk around outside came up empty too. She was standing near the steps, lightly humming to mherself and wondering if he was avoiding us all, or the women, or even just Sonya in particular(far-fetched on her end, but she is a woman after all!).

Jay's location was revealed finally, thanks to the sun. Sonya happened to sit down on the steps, waiting for a moment before she saw movement on the grass. It took her a few seconds to realize that it was a shadow. It dawned on her that he was on the roof! Aha!

Sonya looked up to see a single leg swinging back and forth and nodded in triumph. After cutting through Liu Kang and Kung Lao's room and using their balcony she reached up to take a hold to the edge when she thought she heard Jay talking. Sonya didn't want to be nosy, but a few seconds worth of listening couldn't hurt either. We(as in the group, -not- just Johnny and her) had just met the guy after all, so he could possibly be dangerous!

Sonya wasn't close enough, sadly, so she pulled myself up, managing to almost bring up her head to see when her feet slipped. SheI gave a brief, "Ah!" of surprise and dangled there before she thought she heard someone say hide. Sonya would have processed this more but risking a two story drop was not on the agenda today. The dangling blond was about to shout for help when a hand unexpectedly reached down and a strong voice said, "Here, take my hand."

Sonya looked up to see Jay, offering her his hand. She hesitated, but he made no show of pulling his hand away so she finally took it. It looked like it took no effort for him to pull Sonya up, and when she questioned him on this later he said she was actually very light. Take that Edenian bimbos!

Sonya didn't question him about this right now though, instead taking a second to catch her breath. She gave him a quick smile before admitting the truth, about everything. She did feel bad, after all. His reaction was not actually what she thought it would be. Hell, she expected him to boast, or to rub it in the other guys faces at a later point, but all he said was, "Don't worry about it." He then gave Sonya a smile before turning back to look down over the roof.

"Are you wanting down?"

She would to admit to the fact that her mind wandered with exactly 'how' he was suggesting getting her down, but before she could think about it he dropped to one knee before hiking a thumb at his back, "Hop on."

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**A/N: Have to admit, I'd be somewhat tempted to shove her off a roof, myself. Ce la vie. Review, if you'd be so kind. If not, hope you at least enjoyed the story! More should be coming soon. I hope!**


	7. Ch 4: Johnny - Man of the hour

**A/N: Neeewwww chaptah tiem! Read and/or review if you would. :D**

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**Chapter 4: Johnny – Man of the hour**

Johnny had been(ever since Sonya left) trying to tell Kung Lao all about his new movie, which Kung Lao really wasn't all that interested in. But he should be! At some point Sonya returned, looking a little annoyed, followed by Jay, who was rubbing his bicep, and grinning.

Johnny, of course, had to check on Sonya, and when he approached her she gave him a brief smile. That smile of hers. Each time he saw it he wanted to drown in it. Jay gave me a nod to which Johnny grinned, "Hey buddy!" Looking back to Sonya Johnny asked, "What happened to his arm?" She snickered before saying, "Long story short? He got revenge for earlier, but I still socked him for it."

Johnny blinked before nodding, "Ah, okay." He'd then grin at Sonya before leaning close to whisper. Mostly he just talked about himself(again) in an attempt to impress her(again). He couldn't tell if it as working or not half the time, though. Sometimes she'd appear interested and others she looked like she would rather just shove him off a cliff. This time, she frowned and Johnny knew it was option two she was gunning for. He'd then give her a thumbs up as he backed away and made an excuse about going to check on the new guy.

Sonya was already becoming less hostile as Johnny backed away. He'd slip through the hallway door and head upstairs to look for Jay. Everyone else it appeared was downstairs so when he heard movement coming from one it was safe to make the logical choice. Without knocking Johnny slid the door open, "Heeey buddy!" Jay stood stark naked except for a towel which was draped over his arm, which thankfully was covering his front end. Johnny would blink before internally breathing a sigh of relief. Not that he didn't mind the view, but more that he didn't want one of his first intros to a potential fan to be mired by having walked in on them naked.

Jay sighed before wrapping the towel around his waist as Johnny grinned, "Happy to see me?" Jay gave a roll of his eyes(which was something like what Sonya normally does) before shaking his head, "Just wishing people knew the importance of knocking." Jay tightened his towel before looking back over to Johnny, "You're….Jax, right?" Johnny shook his head before launching his first effort campaign, plus he was mostly blocking the door so Jay was screwed either way, "No my good man I am not! He is the one with the freaky robot arms. I, on the other hand, am an action movie star extraordinaire, plus martial arts master-. Maybe you've seen a few of my films and didn't want to embarrass yourself in front of the rest of the guys? It's okay, I'll let you save face."

Jay stared before shaking his head, "Never heard of you." Jay then moved to one of the drawers before sighing. Looking back to Johnny he asked, "Say, you wouldn't happen to know how I could get new clothes, do you?"

Johnny's ego wasn't even remotely tarnished. Being unknown just meant that there was untapped fan potential! Also, Johnny couldn't blame the poor guy for needing clothes. Johnny would grin before offering, "You can have a few of mine if you want!" Jay gave a small nod in thanks before Johnny lead the blond to his room. Sub-Zero wasn't in so it was somewhat warmer, thankfully. Johnny then led Jay over to his mountain of suitcases, yet before Johnny could say anything Jay cut in, "I see you pack light." Johnny just gave another cheesy grin before giving a single thumbs up, "You know it!" He'd then motion to the suitcases before saying, "Help yourself to anything that fits. Just don't touch the suits! Or the sunglasses!" He gave a nod before backing up to let Jay wander closer.

Jay was actually rather hesitant, then reluctantly moved closer and started rummaging around. Eventually he found a pair of blue jeans(customer faded), a plain pair of boxers(Johnny refused to wear briefs, even going so far as to go commando) Johnny said were new as he had gone shopping before coming to Outworld so most everything in his carry-ons were brand new, and finally a tanktop. Jay seemed satisfied before pulling free a leather jacket Johnny had forgotten about. Jay seemed to like it though and Johnny(being the absolute good person that he was) parted with it.

Jay then walked off towards the bathroom to wash up and dress as Johnny sighed to himself. Untapped fan potential. Right.

Johnny then watched as Sub-Zero walked into their room. Sub-Zero perpetually wore his mask so Johnny normally had to ask what was going on with the ice ninja to at least get some kind of reaction. Johnny was about to say something when Sub-Zero spoke up, anger hidden behind his words, "Do -not- let that male into this room again." Johnny blinked before tilting his head, "What?"

"I do not trust that male, and would appreciate it if he stayed -out- of my room." The ninja then moved over to his desk and took out a scroll in one of the desks. Johnny shook his head before pointing out, "It's my room too."

Sub-Zero either ignored or didn't hear Johnny but Johnny just strolled out into the hallway, stopping briefly when he thought he heard spashing and an odd…growl? Sliding open the door to the bathroom Johnny was surprised to see it was just Jay in the bath, Thankfully, everything waist-deep was covered, especially since Sonya happened to be walking towards Johnny. Quickly he shut the door before scratching his head as Sonya stopped, "Is someone in there?"

Johnny nodded before flashing his golden-boy smile, "Yeah, think Jay must've slipped in the tub by accident or something. He looks fine though!" He then turned on the old Johnny charm by waggling his eyebrows at the beautiful and curvaceous blond woman, "Wanna share a bath with me when Jay gets out?"

Later, as Johnny was nursing his bruised arm he saw Jay walking back to his room. Johnny followed, not to be perverted but he really wanted to ask Jay what happened in the bath. So when he knocked on Jay's door he was surprised no one answered. He slid the door open to see no one home. Sonya was walking by when she pointed out to Johnny, "If you're looking for him, he's probably on the roof. It's where I found him." Johnny was about to turn on the usual Johnny charm again, but the look Sonya gave him at that moment suggested it was best saved for later.

He gave Sonya a thumbsup before moving through Jay and Jax's shared room to the balcony. Slowly, he climbed up, surprisingly without even making a sound! That, was what probably also allowed him to hear Jay speaking to someone he couldn't yet see. Then again, he couldn't even see Jay, instead choosing to snoop and not see.

Jay: "Look, I said I would help you and I will. You're not being very helpful with telling me what it is that you want though. You helped me escape that funhouse of terror so the least you could do is enlighten me as to what it is you are…well…wanting?"

"I need answers for what happened. I wish to know why it is that they all died, and by Sub-Zero's hand no less."

That last part almost had Johnny slip off the roof! Sub-Zero killed people?! Well, innocent people? That seemed odd, even for the ice ninja. Then Jay spoke up again, "Well, I'm trying not to be skeptical but I just don't know. I mean, he's an asshole well enough, but I'm not so sure about him murdering in cold blood."

"That is probably because you yourself do not know that his clan and mine were rivals."

Johnny's eyes went wide before he heard enough. He knew who was up there, so he scrambled up to the roof, only to see Jay standing by himself. Jay gave Johnny a brief up-nod before turning around to face the sun.

Johnny scratched his head before moving to stand next to Jay, but he chose to face Jay as he said, "Dude, not cool. If Sub-Zero finds out you're buddy-buddy with Scorpion he'll flip."

Jay sighed before turning to face Johnny, "I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes but he tossed me a lifeline when I sure as hell had no other. Do -not- expect to just forget about that and move on."

Jay wasn't issuing a warning or threat. This much was obvious in his relaxed posture. Johnny nodded before pointing out, "That's okay, I think, but those two have had some bad blood for years! Long before any of us even got here! So please, -_please_- don't let Sub-Zero know that you're being friendly with Scorpion?"

"Too late." Jay never said that.

Johnny turned to see Sub-Zero had joined himself and Jay on the roof. Johnny froze(no pun intended) before glancing back and forth between Jay and Sub-Zero. A few seconds went by before Johnny tried pulling the reigns on this potential disaster. "Guys guys, maybe we can talk about this? I'm sure Jay has a good reason for talking to Scorpion. He hasn't exactly known Scorpion long enough to see what the hell-spawn…thing is capable of."

Johnny moved forward a few steps, putting himself in the middle of Jay and Sub-Zero, with the high hopes that this wouldn't come to blows. Jay just casually gave a light shrug, "I'm willing to talk."

This caused Johnny to breathe a sigh of relief. That is, until Sub-Zero spoke next.

"I was going to speak to Lord Raiden about the contract the Lin Kuei have for your head, but hearing this makes me glad I came up here first." Sub-Zero narrowed his eyes on Jay before lowering himself into attack stance. "Prepare to die."

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**A/N: Totally need to cut off here. And I actually don't want to cause that ending snuck up on me. So next chapter is something I am -definitely- looking forward to! Till then, something something me no own MK something something read/review and laters!~**


	8. Ch 5: Sub-Zero - Bringing down the house

**A/N: Me still no own the Mortal Kombats and all their sexy. I do own the blond one. The male. No, not Johnny Cage. I wish! But no. The other one about to get it on with Sub-Zero. *sigh* Sexual innuendo, giggitty. Anyway, enjoy!**

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**Chapter 5: Sub-Zero - Bringing down the house(Pt. 1)**

Sub-Zero stared down his opponent, ready to assault at the first sign of aggression, but Jay just stood there before reiterating, "I'm willing to talk." Sub-Zero narrowed his eyes before pushing a blast of ice at the man's feet. Sub-Zero was ready for this, and when Johnny stepped in front of him, trying to plead for Sub-Zero to calm down the ice ninja would just glare, "Get out of the way, or I'll move you." Johnny was stubborn, refusing to move out of the way. Sub-Zero relaxed before placing his right hand on Johnny's shoulder. Johnny grinned, then realized what was happening but it was too late. The pressure Sub-zero put on the man's shoulder cause him to pass out.

Jay just watched as Sub-Zero moved Johnny close to the edge before picking up where he left off. Attack stance at the ready, he'd stare down Jay before Jay huffed, then asked, "What is this to you? What would my death accomplish for you? I'm nobody, I haven't even been in this world two days and already I'm marked for death."

Sub-Zero let out a long, slow breath of cold air before shaking his head, "It is the will of the Grandmaster. This is how the Lin Kuei have survived for so long. We are assassins, after all." Jay's next words didn't surprise the blue ninja, "Was it this Grandmasters will to have Scorpions entire clan slaughtered? Or was that just something personal?" There. Jay had no malice in his words. This annoyed Sub-Zero, for some reason. But then again, he was also done talking.

Sub-Zero knew good and damn well he had never slaughtered the Shirai Ryu, but seeing as he was about to kill the blond it mattered very little what was said. He just evenly placed one foot forward before sprinting towards Jay, ice forming itself between his fingers before he sent two ice blasts towards the silent male. Right as Sub-Zero fired his ice blasts he noticed Jay leap into the air, doing a front flip before land where Sub-Zero just sprinted away from, effectively making his ice blasts pointless. Jay let his jacket fall off his shoulders before catching the sleeves and wrapping them around his waist. Once sufficiently tightened his attention the returned to Sub-Zero who had now formed a kori blade and was dashing towards Jay again, only this time he found it better to take the high road by leaping in mid-air.

Jay moved off to the side, dodging the downward swing, before feeling a slice through the left part of his arm. He didn't realize Sub-Zero was that fast, but the wound itself would heal, and it wasn't bleeding that much. Jay frowned as he didn't want to get any blood on his new jacket, but now it seemed it would be a moot point. Jay would continue to dodge Sub-Zero's attacks for several minutes actually, though he would end up with quite a few cuts. Sub-Zero seemed to be slowing down however.

Finally the ice ninja narrowed his eyes, before shifting himself into a defensive stance. He needed to gain the upper hand here, and so far it looked like he hadn't managed to do anything but give the blond a few scars. Sub-Zero then notice a rather important detail. The first few slices he had landed on Jay were healed. Even the scarring that should come with them was gone. This gave Sub-Zero a brief pause, before resuming his somewhat futile attack. However, what he did did not earn respite from the blond male. It was beginning to annoy Sub-Zero till he finally stopped. Jay was sweating, but looked no worse for the wear while Sub-Zero spent his entire time focusing on attacking. He'd then shout at Jay, "Why do you not attack? Are you scared?" Jay simply shook his head, though he didn't say anything. Sub-Zero narrowed his eyes before realizing something about the way Jay was standing, in an almost relaxed posture. He then gave a bored, almost stifled yawn before Sub-Zero shouted, "FIGHT ME COWARD!"

Jay just made a shooing motion before saying, "Just do me a favor and jump off the roof, okay? You came up here and started this, and I don't want to be the one to end it."

Sub-Zero silently fumed then, thoughts shifting from attack pattern to attack pattern before settling on hand to hand. Jay had dodged the slices pretty well, but hand to hand was something different. He'd then let the kori blade in hand turn back to water and splatter on top of the roof before reaching back then pulling free his combat gloves. These gloves, however, were special and glinted in the sunlight. Jays eyes narrowed before he took a step back. Sub-Zero smiled behind his mask before dashing towards Jay once more sending blow after blow, punch after punch towards the man. Again, though, he did nothing but dodge.

Eventually, Jay had enough as he raised his hand and caught one of Sub-Zeros punches. This action lasted less than thirty seconds, and in between that time Jay caught the punch before growling at Sub-Zero, "Leave me a-" That's when Sub-Zero noticed the fist that was holding his in place beginning to shake. Jay's fist then started smoking, before he pulled it back with a yelp of surprise. Of course this was followed by "Holy shit that fucking hurts!" and then "Goddamnit!" and a few more strings of continuous curses. Sub-Zero stared down at his gloves, wondering if it was the glinting silver that was suddenly giving him an advantage. His eyes squinted on his target, since if it was then this match was about to be over.

He then threw a few more punches, catching Jay by surprise and landing two right-hooks to his face, then a left uppercut to the man's jaw. Jay stumbled back before falling on his ass. Sub-Zero took the initiative to lunge at Jay but Jay caught a lucky break, leaning back and catching Sub-Zero on his feet before flinging the rival male backwards. He then stood back up before rolling his shoulders. Sub-Zero was already back on his feet, but instead of having to run at Jay Jay was running for Sub-Zero. Jay himself started off with a roundhouse which Sub-Zero dodged, before himself dodging a few punches aimed at his face. Jay knocked Sub-Zero's hands away into the air, causing the ice ninja to lose balance and took the opportune moment to punch the very part of the roof Sub-Zero was standing on.

Too many things happened in such a short succession Sub-Zero couldn't recount them all. He remembered seeing a flash of yellow or gold, the world around him spinning, then everything fading to black somewhere between the dizziness and the actual landing.

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**A/N: Yeaaahhhh. Bit of a shorter chapter than expected. But, there's more planned ahead! So..you know. Yeah. **


	9. Ch 5: Scorpion - Bringing down the house

**A/N: Don't own the MK's! I wish, but no! Just not lucky or smart(or old) enough to have made them. Ah well. Enjoy and stuff!**

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**Chapter 5: Scorpion - Bringing down the house(Pt. 2)**

Scorpion watched Quan Chi walk back and forth, first muttering to himself then asking Scorpion ideas of what to do next. They were supposed to be keeping the Earth-realmers on their toes, but that was before Shao Kahn had been defeated. Now Quan Chi was more worried about staying alive. Scorpion didn't much care either way. Then Quan Chi looked back to Scorpion before ordering, "Go find the blond male again. Just keep an eye on him. Try to find some way to lure him here, and keeping him -away- from Shang Tsung."

Scorpion just nodded before disappearing in a burst of flames. Traveling amongst the flames was refreshing, and often reminded him of the few times he actually enjoyed being a hellspawn. Once he reappeared he happened on quite the scene. Jay had just punched a hole in the roof of the inn which in turn seemed to swallow Sub-Zero. If the spectre were lucky it would kill the Lin Kuei. He'd then join Jay on the roof as Jay was observing his right fist. It almost looked mangled. Jay gave a welcoming nod to Scorpion before moving over to kneel next to a still passed out Johnny Cage.

"What happened?" Scorpion was told after all to keep an eye on Jay, even if he didn't want to. No point in complaining about the babysitting business, which he appeared to be failing at.

Jay just waved Scorpion off, "Not right now." He'd then pat Johnny's face trying to wake the man up. Looking back to Scorpion he finally admitted, "The blue guy showed up here, knocked out Johnny then said I have a claim on my head. Then he attacked me." Jay showed his right hand again for Scorpion to get a better look at before looking down at Johnny, "Can't just leave him here."

Scorpion altogether ignored Johnny, pointing out, "You need to move. If he attacked you then odds are there are more of his clan coming to ensure he finishes the job. He already appears to have figured out your weakness so killing him is the next step." Jay immediately shook his head, "Not an option. For me, at least."

Scorpion just shook his head, "Fool. Die if you want." Jay just sighed before muttering, "Okay then." He'd scoop up Johnny, slinging the man over his shoulder fireman style before jumping off the roof. He wanted to walk inside but the rest of the group was already gathering outside. Scorpion didn't follow, instead listening to Jay as Jay tried to explain everything. Sadly for Jay, it wasn't working. It only got better when he heard a new voice making mention of being attacked by Jay on the roof. That voice was…..Sub-Zero?

That was more of a surprise to the spectre than anticipated. The Lin Kuei dog normally had more honor than that, but this new trickery was quickly turning Jay's new friends against him. Slowly, Jay started to back away from Johnny's body while Sonya rushed over and tried to shake him awake. He looked like he was stirring awake but Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Jax, and Kitana were already trying to corner Jay. Scorpion watched as Jay leaped high over Kitana before making a mad dash for the woods. Personally, Scorpion would have liked to seen Jay fight, but at the very least it proved Jay wasn't a total fool.

Scorpion watched as Jay disappeared into the woods with Liu Kang and Kung Lao hot on his trail before reverting his attention back to those remaining gathered below. Scorpion moved back to the hole Sub-Zero had fallen through, looking inside to see a few bits of blood then off to the side what looked like a scroll. Carefully he jumped down and picked it up before reading its contents. Interesting. This was definitely a good thing for the spectre to find.

The spectre reappeared on the roof in a burst of flames, catching everyone's attention when he called down to them as a whole, "If all of you are done running off the blond then take a look at this. It should tell you everything you need to know." He'd then toss down the scroll to Kitana, before folding his arms and waiting. Sub-Zero glanced between the spectre and the scroll before realizing too late his error in not making sure he still had that scroll on him. Kitana was already going through it befo 0re her eyes widened. She then announced to the rest, "The Lin Kuei have accepted a bounty on Jay. And it appears their Grandmaster has ordered Sub-Zero to kill him." Scorpion couldn't help but feel a few moments of joy from this as almost every single pair of eyes now locked on Sub-Zero.

Johnny cut in though, moaning and grabbing his head, "What happened? Did I just get hit by a truck?" He sat up before spotting Sub-Zero, "What have you done with Jay?!" He'd then notice everyone around him, "Oh, hey guys! Guess you already know?" Sonya, Kitana, and Jax nodded their heads before Scorpion pointed out one tiny detail, "If you are done, then your new friend is being chased away by the Shaolin monks." After that Scorpion once again disappeared in a burst of flame, this time picking up the trail on Jay. He appeared a few feet from where Jay was standing, though there was a tree between them. Kung Lao already was throwing punches at Jay, who was dodging them, though not without difficulty. Liu Kang then appeared out of nowhere to do a bicycle kick, connecting on Jay's chest and smacking him right into a tree.

Scorpions eyes just narrowed, realizing Jay was going to lose this fight. Jay seemed to get that as well. Scorpion then leapt down next to Jay, taking up a fighting stance before announcing to his temporary partner, "Any ideals of your world you should forget. This is a new place, and the only way to survive is through combat." Liu Kang and Kung Lao readied themselves before Jay pointed out to Scorpion, "But I have no need to kill them, -or- fight them. I've done nothing wrong."

Scorpion would snort, were he alive. Instead, he'd just shake his head, "They think otherwise. You will have to combat them, if even just to subdue them. Now fight!"

Scorpion now focused solely on Liu Kang, rushing forward to deliver a volley of punches the male was unprepared for. Scorpion then did a leg sweep which knocked Liu Kang to the ground before pouncing the male with a punch that, in effect, knocked him out cold. Scorpion was standing back up just in time to hear Jay shout, "Get down!" Scorpion ducked as Kung Lao's hat zipped by, effectively halving a few trees on the way back to its master. Jay was already on Kung Lao, giving the male an uppercut to the stomach that gave a resounding impact, and immobilized Kung Lao for the time being.

Not bothering to wait anymore the spectre asked Jay, "Are you sure you still want them to live? They may prove difficult later on down the road." Jay simply shook his head at the spectre before reiterating, "I have no need to kill them. Sparing them proves I am right."

The spectre merely sighed in agitation, or annoyance. He never let Jay know which, but Jay seemed to take the hint as he started walking off through the woods. Scorpion moved to walk after him, catching up to his side before asking, "What are you going to do now? They will hunt you down." Jay didn't miss a step or beat as he said, "What else? I've got a promise to make good on. There's only one place I can go now to find clues as to what to do next."

Scorpion observed the male, silently considering his words before speculation set in. However, it was probably easier just to ask. And he did. "And where would that be?"

Jay's next words stopped the spectre in his tracks, and for good reason.

"I'm going to the home of the Shirai Ryu. There I will find answers."

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**A/N: Now for that awkward moment when the spotlight is put on someone who probably doesn't even want it! Special thanks go to my first reviewer, DarkAssassin15! *spotlights* Your review does help yanno. :D More coming soon, hopefully!**


	10. Interlude - Timing

**A/N: Just a brief interlude here. Instead of the usual single person POV gonna have snipits from everyone at various times. Hope you enjoy. :D**

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**Interlude - Timing**

**Jade – Chapter 2**

Jade smiled to her best friend while gathering a few things. Kitana smiled back before asking, "Why are you smiling?" The green-clad female warrior just giggled before pointing out, "Liu Kang has been by your side ever since he got here. I think I'm jealous."

Kitana sighed briefly before near-scolding Jade, "How many times have I told you that you'll find a suitable man for you soon? You just need to be patient."

Jade returned Kitana's sigh with one of her own before pointing out, "It's not like my husband is going to randomly just walk in the door any day now." There was a brief pause before Jade added in, "If he does though, I hope he's naked so at least I can get a preview of the show." Kitana waved Jade off saying, "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. Now hurry up and get ready for dinner!"

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**Jax – Chapter 5**

Jax stared between the warriors as they formed an awkward semi-circle around Johnny. Sub-Zero just sort of stood there, looking almost unfazed by the events going on around him. Then, out of the blue Sub-Zero looked to Jax, "This is probably not the best time, but you now have that sun-roof you were inquiring about."

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**Sub-Zero – Chapter 1**

Sub-Zero stood next to Jax as they eyed their new, albeit temporary, rest stop. Jax then asked Sub-Zero, "You think they got a room with a view?"

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**Sonya – Chapter 3**

Sonya poked her tummy a few times before sighing. Never should have let Kitana and Jade talk her into bathing with them. Feelings of inadequacy were kicking in, meaning comfort food would soon be in order. Sonya then moved to open her door, and as soon as she did a certain Johnny Cage was there to greet her. She was about to huff in frustration before realizing that Johnny was giving her body the once over. Multiple times.

He'd then give Sonya a cheeky grin, "Hey babe, you ready for our date?" She narrowed her eyes at him before pointing out, "I didn't agree to a date! In fact, I didn't agree to anything!" Johnny didn't appear to give up as he persisted. He followed her around for a little while before she finally managed to ditch him at some point between him discussing a new promotional deal he was considering and his most recent action flick, _Ninja Mime_.

Sonya was free, if just for a short while. She wasn't so hungry anymore now, especially with the way Johnny had been after her. She felt –good-!

"Sonya! We're going sparring and taking you with, let's go!" Jade and Kitana trapped each of Sonya's arms and they guided her out of the inn, all the while Sonya sparing a glance back to the kitchen.

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**Scorpion – Chapter 1**

The spectre folded his arms as he watched the male swing slowly back and forth before sighing, "If you're serious then I may be able to help you."

Jay nodded repeatedly before imploring, "I am!" He then glanced somewhere behind Scorpion before looking back to Scorpion to ask, "Are you -sure- the coast is clear? I thought I saw movement behind you."

Scorpion narrowed his white eyes at the male before turning around, if just to humor Jay. After glancing around a few times to make sure no one was there he then turned back to inform Jay, but was ironically cut off—"Sorry, that must have been my mistake. Just in case, you could always prove me wrong by looking one more time?" Scorpion just sighed, unsure what the male was getting at.

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**Jay - Chapter 1**

Jay smiled, mostly to himself. '_Well, well! He's got a cute ass! Wonder if I can make him do it again?_'

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**Liu Kang – Chapter 5**

Liu woke up to see Kung Lao still passed out from the beating both Jay and Scorpion had given. Liu would go shake his brother a bit before the Shaolin monk came to. Kung Lao sat up before looking around. Finally, he looked to Liu Kang before offering, "I didn't see anything if you didn't?"

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**A/N: Just a little something. Debating on doing an interlude every so often. Not sure yet! Still, RnR if you prefer!**


	11. Ch 6: Jax - Soldier of fortune

**A/N: Nope. Don't own the MK's! That's…pretty much it. New chapter! New Adventures! NEW EXCLAMATION POINT! Sorry, I got Torque on the brain. :x**

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**Chapter 6: Jax – Soldier of fortune**

Jax eyed Liu Kang first, who seem to be rather embarrassed about the situation, then Kung Lao who seemed like he could care less about the situation, and lastly Sub-Zero, who had inevitably started said situation.

Sonya had a good time reprimanding Sub-Zero, but in the end he stuck to his defense of it being his Grandmasters will. Jax only saw this as counterproductive, but was partly sympathetic to Sub-Zero, akin to the Grandmasters will being order from higher-up. He'd just sigh at the thought. He had chosen to stand away from the larger portion of the group(Jade, Sonya, Kitana, and Johnny) who were grilling the previous three. He was lost on the situation but a familiar voice spoke up behind him, "What troubles you, Jax?"

Jax nearly froze, since Raiden didn't know anything about what was going on.

The rest of the group didn't appear to see Raiden appear, or were too busy giving a piece of their mind(Sonya to Sub-Zero, to be more specific) so Jax would just greet the thunder god with a nod before explaining….

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Raiden stood silently, most of the group(sans Sub-Zero) eventually migrating their way over and adding in to explaining what happened in the last twenty-four hours, up to the point Jay disappeared in the forest and that he….hadn't been found. Once that was said though, Raiden was silent. Which would explain the nervous glances being shared among those gathered in front of Raiden.

The thunder god closed his eyes, and Jax saw the man's nostrils flare as he exhaled before Raiden called over to Sub-Zero, "Can you come here, please?" More collective glances were shared, and when Sub-Zero finally approached(at a somewhat slower pace than his usual) everyone took one unified step backwards.

Raiden seemed not to notice, especially as he then boomed, "What the hell were you thinking?! You attack a new warrior we can use for Earth-realms defense, run him off, -lie- to your friends, and then place blame on it being a part of a hit?!"

Silence. Even the forest creatures had grown silent, leaving nothing but the wind to blow through the air. Jax thought he felt tingles up his back, but given that Raiden generated electricity, or was made of it(?), it was probably normal. Probably.

Raiden chewed out Sub-Zero for about five minutes more, resulting in five more minutes of awkward silence from the rest of the group. Surprisingly, or stupidly depending on perspective, it was Sub-Zero who spoke up, "It is the will of the Grandmaster, and I as a loyal Lin Kuei will follow his commands."

Raiden stared at Sub-Zero long and hard before giving a slow, exasperated sigh.

"So you have no free will of your own, then?"

The entire group turned their heads to Jax, he himself somewhat surprised he had spoken up. He continued before interruption set in, "I understand about followin' chain of command, but even your superiors will tell you you need to think for yourself. Otherwise—" Here he held up his robotic arms, pumping them slightly before finishing his point, "—otherwise you may find yourself worse off than I am."

Sub-Zero seemed to consider this before questioning, "You are complaining about your arms?"

Jax chuckled before shaking his head, "No no, man. I'm saying, if I hadn't gotten lucky, I wouldn't have any arms at all. You understand?"

The blue-clad ninjas eyes narrowed before he gave a short nod. Jax then added, "All I'm telling you is that maybe it isn't a bad thing for you to think for yourself. And, that blond guy is new. We don't know him. How is it your Grandmaster is already issuing an order to kill when no one knows if he's done anything wrong?"

Jax could only guess if Sub-Zero were frowning behind his mask right now, but he let it go there. He'd just turn to Raiden, who gave Jax a small nod of thanks before asking the thunder god, "How do we find the new guy? We are supposed to be keeping an eye on him after all…"

Before Raiden could respond, however, there came a large cry throughout the air, sending a small shiver down Jax's spine: "KILL THEM ALL."

Jax, along with everyone else, was turning their heads trying to find the owner of the voice before Jade piped up, "Tarkatans! Coming from the forest!"

Jax saw at least twenty emerging from the forest, carrying various weapons in hand, swords, knives, daggers, spears, etc,. There had to be at least thirty in total, and they were all running right for the Earth-realm warriors.

Jax moved forward along with the rest, running for the Tarkatans. The first Tarkatan that got close enough to Jax was punched hard enough that the Tarkatans neck could be heard snapping by those closest to Jax. Johnny happened to be nearby, and had to throw in a comment, "Leave some for the rest of us!" The soldier just grinned before taunting the three Tarkatans near him, "Come get some!"

Two then came out him, using their spears to try and gut him, but he managed to sidestep before bringing up his right fist to knock out the first Tarkatan. The opposite Tarkatan stood no chance, however showed no fear as he pulled out a dagger and sliced Jax's shoulder. This proved to be a bad idea, mostly since the unlucky Tarkatan was missing both his arms within the space of ten seconds.

Jax quickly took a glance around to see that the others were doing fairly well on their respective ends. Johnny managed to trick two Tarkatans into spearing each other, Kitana and Liu Kang were going double and worked well in unison, Kung Lao had beheaded a few of the Tarkatans with his hat, Sonya and Sub-Zero held their ground as well, and lastly Jade was about to be speared without realizing it.

Jax narrowed his eyes before rushing the Tarkatan that was about to end Jade. She hadn't noticed yet as she and another Tarkatan were going toe to toe with their staves. Jax managed to jump on the Tarkatan trying to spear Jade, avoiding a rather close call. He gripped the Tarkatans head in both hands, before twisting it to the right far more than it was designed to turn. The resulting snap of bone finally started convincing other Tarkatans that they were losing this battle and so the few that were still alive or could run, ran.

Baraka had somehow disappeared in all the commotion before a loud thunderclap signaled exactly where he was. Jax looked past the fleeing Tarkatans and other Earth-realmers to see that Baraka had gone right after Raiden himself. This had Jax wondering just how stupid Baraka was. As Jax watched the thunder god easily dodged around Barakas blades, every so often taking a punch for Barakas face or stomach. Finally, Raiden simply shot Baraka with enough lightning to make the monster keel over. It….was a rather short fight, apparently.

Once the coast was clear everyone rushed to Raiden's side, with Liu Kang asking the first question, "Lord Raiden, are you okay?" Raiden gave a nod to Liu Kang before looking to everyone around, "Is everyone okay? Any wounded?"

There was a collective shake of heads, the worst being Jax's shoulder injury and some other minor cuts but thankfully nothing serious that Jax noticed. It was then that Raiden ordered, "Everyone start packing, then. We need to move. More Tarkatans, or worse, will come back and I don't want you all staying here with that kind of threat nearby."

A collective murmur of agreement came from the group before everyone headed back for the inn, walking past the slain bodies of Tarkatans without so much as a second glance. The day was almost over, and in such a short amount of time things had gone to hell.

Jax sighed before glancing towards Kung Lao, "I hope Jay didn't get caught up with any of those Tarkatans." Kung Lao frowned, before nodding in agreement, "I agree."

Jax narrowed his eyes at Kung Lao before shrugging it off. He'd then stop and glance over his shoulder to the one remaining Tarkatan that was struggling to his feet before looking back and calling to Raiden, "What about that guy?"

Raiden didn't bother stopping, or even looking back, instead raising his staff in the air. Light suddenly flashed from behind before Baraka emitted a growl, followed by a low thud. Even Jax didn't need to look behind himself to know what happened. Raiden also clarified: "That should buy us some time then."

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**A/N: So like, Oh Emm Ji! And stuff! I got nothing. Gonna try working on a new chapter soon…ish. Read and review if you prefer, and hope you enjoy the read! **


	12. Ch 7: Jay - Scorched

**A/N: Mortal Kombats, don't own 'em, sadly. New chapter! Enjoy!**

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**Chapter 7: Jay - Scorched**

"But why?" Jay had used emphasis on the last word, and could tell it was getting on the spectres nerves. He'd been following the spectre for a week, and finally had managed to get the spectre to give in to his request. They had continued moving(at Scorpions insistence), not staying in the forest where it was mildly safe.

Instead, Scorpion trekked along out of the forest, coming to a small expanse of desert. And right there at the in-between of the forest with its multitude of trees and shade(and seemingly harmless safety) and the desert with its sun, sand, no water, and heat. And sun. Scorpion didn't go any further. Instead simply telling Jay to stay put, or not to leave or some other reason the spectre could think of. This however, did not stop the spectre from freely coming and going of his own accord.

Finally, Jay's patience wore out. He could only put up with so much. The creatures he was killing and eating he wasn't even sure if he -should- be eating them. Some looked like regular rabbits, squirrels, and things but the others looked like they had been bred in some kind of laboratory. It seemed okay by this point, but what had annoyed Jay above all else was that Scorpion refused to take him to the undead ninjas old home. Then, Scorpion finally gave in, at the end. Course, Jay had to force that situation so it wasn't exactly a victory.

He had finally just started walking away when the spectre returned. Scorpion burst into flame before reappearing in front of Jay, questioning, "Where are you going? You need to stay here." The latter part sounded more like an order.

Jay just brushed Scorpion off, saying, "It's been days and you haven't let me go anywhere or do anything. I offered to help you and you give me no reason as to why we haven't left. If you're done wasting my time I think I'll just go find that group that tried to kill me. Maybe they would at least be willing to listen to me."

Scorpion narrowed his silk-white eyes at Jay before shaking his head, "Why do you insist on going there? There are too many memories buried there. I do not want you defiling that land."

Jay blinked before actually taking offense. He waved his arms wildly about before jabbing his forefinger in Scorpions direction, "I have been trying to get you to take me there so I can see if there are any clues about. You know, investigating?" Scorpion stood stock-still so Jay continued, "If it truly was Sub-Zero there then I'll be able to sniff him out."

Scorpion just shook his head before explaining, "Quan Chi has shown me that it was Sub-Zero all along. Or rather, both he and his brother. Both Lin Kuei bastards who shall be dead before long."

Jay stared briefly before asking, almost curiously, "How long ago did Quan Chi show you proof?"

Scorpion replied without skipping a beat, "In the first tournament. I ended the elder Sub-Zero, but the younger one bested me in the second tournament. I am waiting for my moment to enact vengeance on him as well."

Jay stared, almost dully before shaking his head, "And you trusted Quan Chi? Just like that?"

Scorpion remained silent, standing motionless, so Jay folded his arms and squinted his eyes at Scorpion but did not speak.

Finally, Scorpion replied, "I have an arrangement with Quan Chi. He will restore my clan to me once I have ended Sub-Zero."

Jay just shook his head, "If you trust Quan Chi like I did, even though it was brief, you may find yourself down in that lava pit like I was."

Scorpion, once more, had nothing to say. Jay sighed before admitting, "Look, I just don't want to see you getting hurt. You were the first person here to help me when I needed it, so I'm trying to return the favor, okay?" Scorpion merely blinked once before nodding.

Jay gave a nod in return before asking one more time, "Now, will you please take me to the home of the Shirai Ryu?"

That had been yesterday. Scorpion appeared in a burst of flames in front of Jay, his demeanor suggesting he was willing to do anything other than what they were about to do. Jay tapped a finger to his chin before suggesting to Scorpion, "Look, if you're not wanting to go in there then you can just drop us outside. I'll go in, sniff out clues and come back. That work for you?"

Scorpion's eyes narrowed at Jay, and Jay assumed that he was about to be strangled. He probably wasn't that far from the truth but Scorpion seemed to exert control since the hell-spawn jabbed a finger at Jay this time, saying, "I am going with you, end of story."

Jay stared at Scorpion as the spectre turned around. He watched the man's movements before hearing something unexpected. Without turning around the spectre stated, "Am I worthy enough to return?"

Jay slowly raised a finger, as if wanting to ask a question when Scorpion turned around, "Let us go. It is time I return and pay my respects to the fallen." Jays hand dropped to his side before he nodded, "Okay."

Scorpion moved to the front of Jay, then turned to face the blond male, and that's when Jay noticed. Scorpion was a few inches taller than himself. Jay was right at 6'0, so when Scorpion stood all of one foot across Jay couldn't help but notice the difference. He tried to ignore the thought, but it manifested and gave way to another thought, though this one did seem valid.

"Wait, do I put my hands on you to make this work, or what?"

Scorpion said nothing, simply placing both of his hands on Jay's shoulders before both of them disappeared through the flames. Jay was secretly disappointed, but what could you do?

Moments later they had arrived. Jay, having never visited Japan before, was instantly looking all around, observing the trees, flowers, the dirt road they were standing in the middle of, the river that was flowing right beside them, and even the dam that was further upriver.

Scorpion let go of Jays shoulders but Jay didn't take notice, his head still swinging back and forth as he said, "Nice place. I should come visit sometime."

Scorpion would just point his forefinger at Jay's face, "We are here for a reason. Do not forget you are the one who wanted to bring me here."

Jay focused his attention on Scorpion before moving his hand to close Scorpions hand into itself. He was surprised he even was allotted that, but he did pat Scorpions hand a few times as he nodded, "I haven't forgotten. I've never been here before, though. Can't resist seeing the sights!" He'd then let go of Scorpions hand, feeling that aside from Scorpion feeling like a heater it was best to just let the spectre be.

Jay swung around to see that while they were on a dirt road, they were in a new forest! Possibly having relative safety. Didn't matter as the forest itself seemed to be rather thin, and the trees were dying, unlike the last forest which was full on green. It was almost sad. Jay frowned on this before looking back to Scorpion, "Okay! How do we get there?"

Scorpion would just tilt his head as if to say 'Follow me' before walking down a brief stretch of the dirt road. Eventually the road itself came to a split, at which Scorpion turned to the right. Jay followed for what felt like an hour before finally coming upon a wooden gate. From this side everything looked fine. Scorpion, however, had become rather tense. It looked fairly new, and in good condition. The gate itself was similar to one of the fortress gates in the Middle Ages where the logs were planted in the ground side by side yet the tip pointing up was very sharp.

The gate itself was closed, so Jay scratched his head, "Guess walking in the front door isn't an option."

Scorpion just stood silent, which eventually cause Jay to look at the undead ninja, "Hey, are you okay? I can still go inside by myself, if you want? I promise not to disturb anything."

Scorpion finally looked to Jay, before replying, "No. I need to go in there. I need to-" His sentence was cut off, but it sounded like the man's voice had cracked. Jay moved to stand in front of Scorpion before asking, "You sure you okay, buddy?"

The response given was a hard slam into his shoulder as the spectre walked past, purposefully bumping his shoulder into Jays, "I'm fine. Now get moving!"

The blonde gripped where the pain was, even as it was already subsiding before following Scorpion. Without warning Scorpion disappeared into flames, not even so much as a 'Meet me on the other side'. Jay now frowned at Scorpions thoughtlessness before just giving up. "Whatever." He'd then move to stand in front of the gate, surveying what surrounded the gate specifically. Well, the good part was that the gate did have a sort of operating system(crank-wheel), but the bad part was that it was on the other side. The gate itself was steel so there was no way Jay would be able to break it down. Sighing he then tried seeing if there was any way possible to climb up. After observing for about ten minutes he noticed he would be able to do just that.

First, he started climbing the gate, from the gate he shimmied over to an overhanging ledge, scooting along before raising himself up to another ledge. This one too he climbed up on, hoisting himself over before dropping to the floor. He stood up, stretching his back before moving to the opposite side of the main gate. What he saw was probably nothing short of a nightmare for Scorpion.

Buildings, houses, homes that had been destroyed by fire. Bones littered the ground every few feet, some looked like they had been holding hands.

Jay had nothing to say, even though he half-assumed Scorpion was already over on this side. However, he saw no sign of the yellow-clad spectre. The town itself seemed to have been well-guarded at one point, as the actual gate extended for quite a ways, forming a circle around the small town. Looking to his left he saw a skeleton in tattered rags, hints of old yellow on the rags. Jay then hefted himself over the railing and dropped down towards the ground, landing the some twenty foot drop with ease. He was about to walk forward when he heard something land nearby. Turning around he first notice that the gate was not one, but two.

Second, he noticed two robots the size of men on the opposite side of the gates. One was red, the other yellow and they appeared not to have noticed Jay just yet. That was always subject to change, but he could hear the two units communicating back and forth, though it sounded like the red one was in charge. "Seek out the target, capture but do not exterminate. He is wanted alive."

The yellow unit responded, "Understood." That was all Jay needed. Without double-guessing himself he did a one-eighty and took off running, but the yellow unit was already onto him. He looked back in time to see the yellow unit fire(not throw, -fire-) a net right at him. He jumped to the side before resuming his running. Right as he was coming upon the closest building the ground in front of him exploded in a series of brilliant green, before an impact on his jaw sent him flying back.

He'd grip his jaw, now getting rather annoyed at this point before a breeze wafted through the air. At the worst possible time Jay caught various scents that lingered throughout the air. Most were old, very old, actually. So much blood had been spilt here. But the one thing he noticed most of all, was that he caught no scent of Sub-Zero, at all. Nothing, not a drop.

He was dragged out of this odd, yet peaceful moment by a familiar voice which was shouting:

"GET OVER HERE!"

He looked between the red and yellow units which were almost right on top of Jay, before seeing the red unit stabbed through the shoulder by a small spear attached to a chain. Then the red unit was yanked backwards, away from where Jay and the yellow unit were. Jay glanced up to where the yellow unit was before sweeping his legs out, and tripping the yellow unit. Surprisingly, it worked! Jay was not sticking around though, as he had already made it to his feet and was running. Even though the scents were old he could see how they were playing out in his mind's eye. Shouts and screams, the sounds of slaughter as life was taken without necessity.

Then, a new(ish) scent wafted across the air. It had been here long ago, but this one was familiar. Wait. Jay hadn't paid attention to if the yellow tin man was back, but instead jogged forward, even as he heard the sound of Scorpion fighting the red machine. Eventually, Jay came upon a small house. It was a small one bedroom, which was half-burned down but what was inside was even worse. In the corner he saw a small skeleton, having held what appeared to be a small carefully wrapped bundle.

He didn't bother going near, already able to guess what was once inside. This scene played out in his mind's eye too, the woman cowering in the corner with her child. 'Sub-Zero' slowly entering. He didn't bother trying to see further, instead focusing more on the fake Sub-Zero that stood there. He had caught that scent before. Why couldn't he recognize it? That was when he noticed that the fake Sub-Zero was….shimmering?

On closer inspection he noticed that something was off. "Wait, is that magic?" The question was more directed to himself, mostly as he was still the only one there, but that was when the image started fading, revealing the real culprit at a slow, almost agonizing pace. Slowly, the culprits body was seen followed by the face that he had seen back on his first day in this crazy universe.

Staring at the white-skinned male he simply said, "Fuck."

He knew who had done it. All this time and Scorpion had no clue. He needed to tell Scorpion, and as if on cue there was a small explosion off to the South.

Least he knew the general direction of where Scorpion was. He turned around, ready to hunt down his friend(?) before the yellow unit sent copious amounts of electricity surging through his body. Oh, how Jay hated electricity right now.

It didn't render him unconscious but it did lock him up. He couldn't move, and could only grunt at the yellow robot man. The yellow tin man was now busy keying away at his data pad on his left arm before he looked down to Jay, "The Grandmaster would like a word with you."

Light seemed to surround the both of them as he heard Scorpion again shout: "GET OVER HERE!"

He caught a last glimpse of Scorpion, spear locked dead on for Jay, but by then Jay was being whisked away to who knows where.

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**A/N: Took me forever to update! Hope you enjoy though. Review as well, if you prefer. **

**Disclaimer: Mortal Kombats? Not mine. Me no own. I wish! But no.**


	13. Ch 8: Sonya - Drifting

**A/N: New chapter! Enjoy, and stuff! Review, and stuff! Stuff!**

**Chapter 8: Sonya - Drifting**

A little over a week had passed since the Tarkatan incident. Not that there hadn't been little skirmishes since then, but it was nice being able to lay low again, according to Johnny who had been voicing this opinion for the last hour.

Thankfully, after a mild threat from Jax Johnny quickly changed his tune to something different, giving everyone some breathing room to, well, breath. The group had managed to trek well away enough to give the Tarkatans the slip, even if just for a night. That was good enough for Sonya!

The blonde was glad they managed to find some sort of shelter out in the woods. It was a nice little one story house with two bedrooms, but it was empty, devoid of any life when they stumbled across it. It looked abandoned, in fact. Sonya was initially distrustful, but after judging the house for herself and seeing the layers of dust covering it she became somewhat okay with it as a temporary shelter.

Temporary.

Sonya decided to go through the house room by room, which proved to be a very short expenditure as it was only the two bedrooms, bathroom, living room, and kitchen, she took note of the severe lack of décor. There was a very old, moth-eaten rug in what she assumed would be the living room, a few wooden chairs, a bed in each room, and what appeared to be some sort of makeshift toilet. She didn't want to be anywhere near the toilet since it didn't look as if there was -any- sign of plumbing in the house.

Then again, it was Outworld. Plumbing was probably a rare commodity. She'd sigh to herself, her gauge of the house now bordering along the lines of barely acceptable as she walked back outside. Her eyes first glanced over to Kitana and Jade, who seemed to be having a hushed conversation, though the ladies did motion to Sonya to come join them. She smiled and gestured that she would join them in a minute.

She then looked over the men, frowning when her gaze fell upon Sub-Zero. Sub-Zero had his back to her, so it was only left to the imagination if he felt the daggers she was mentally throwing at him. She didn't see any sign of Lord Raiden, which left her to assume he left again somewhere so she was left with Jax, who was doing pushups, and Liu Kang and Kung Lao, who were both meditating. Wait, no, she forgot about Johnny. Strangely enough, he was nowhere to be seen.

Frowning, the blonde woman turned to walk towards Kitana and Jade to see what it was they needed before being stopped by someone tapping her shoulder. She turned around only to really see the last person she wanted to talk to right now: Sub-Zero.

The blue-clad ninja pointed out, "You are avoiding me."

Sonya just stared before nodding, "Yes, yes I am."

Sub-Zero then questioned, "Why?"

That was not a question she was wanting to answer right now, mostly for fear of screaming her head off. She'd just exhale, her nostrils flaring as she did so, before giving a reply, "Why do you think?" She was fighting to keep her own cool but Sub-Zero didn't seem to be letting up.

He'd just retort, "I cannot read your mind. Either you have an issue with me or what I have done or just do not wish to talk to me."

Sonya's foot started tapping of its own accord, and if Sonya paid enough attention she would have noticed the awkward stares coming from the rest of the group, almost as if they were bracing for impact.

Finally, she just placed her left hand on her hip before pointing her right forefinger at Sub-Zero, "Okay then. You want to know why I'm avoiding you? You -really- want to know why I'm avoiding you? I'll tell you why I'm avoiding you."

Sub-Zero had tensed up by this point, and the stares had only gotten worse as the rest of the group were now staring, but Sonya didn't care. She just launched off into her tirade.

"You lied. You -lied- to the entire group here about that guy, saying some bullshit that he attacked you. When Johnny finally woke up and told the real side of the story you admitted to it being the truth. You didn't even -try- apologizing to anyone except Johnny, and even then that was a very lame apology."

Sub-Zero looked like he was about to say something, but Sonya was only just getting started. She continued on, explaining(in great detail) about each action that had taken place since then, why each of them was specifically tied to his lie, why now when they were on the verge of making a new sort-of friend he was now who knows where, and again why that was entirely Sub-Zero's fault.

The entire one-sided discussion lasted about twenty minutes, during which the other kombatants lost interest at various points, Johnny had appeared somewhere in the middle of it all but didn't dare cross that line seeing as Sonya was in the zone. Finally, when Sonya had lost all her steam, Sub-Zero stared though she couldn't read his expression. He was wearing a mask after all, so all she could really see were his eyes. He did have some of the prettiest blue eyes.

Suddenly, Sub-Zero broke into her train of thought with the one thing that she was not readily expecting: "I'm sorry, Sonya. And you're right, I need to treat my comrades better."

That had all the other kombatants freeze on the spot before turning to stare at the situation once more with renewed interest. Sonya herself was skeptical as an apology didn't seem like something Sub-Zero would readily….give?

Sonya narrowed her eyes at the Lin Kuei warrior, suspicion running high in her mind about -why- he would suddenly offer an apology. That's also when she realized she had been quite a little too long for comfort. Sub-Zero had shifted uneasily and someone coughed(probably Johnny) among the rest of the warriors.

Sonya just sighed internally to herself before responding, "Thanks. Though the real person you owe an apology to is possibly dead."

She'd then step off the porch and move over to Jade and Kitana, both already locking their arms in hers before near-dragging her off to another side of the house. It was times like these it paid to have female friends.

* * *

She wound up chatting with Kitana and Jade for a while, mostly venting her frustration, but neither Kitana nor Jade seemed to mind. She eventually inquired about a few things of the ladies she was curious about and they each smiled and giggled. Overall, it allowed her the chance to relax, if just for a short time.

Johnny came by, unannounced but right now he was a welcome intrusion. Jade and Kitana suddenly disappeared on her, which she frowned on. '_Some friends.'_ She thought to herself. Johnny then managed to give her a smile that would have made her swoon, had he not opened his mouth immediately after. He tried talking about his movie career again when she finally just said, "Johnny, if you're trying to impress me, you're really going about it the wrong way."

She'd then give him an exasperated smile before stretching. She couldn't help it. She was steadily getting tired as the day wore on. Johnny stood up, sighing before saying, "Look, I want to take you on a date but you're not really…like all the women I usually come across. I dunno…"

Johnny looked like he was wanting to say something more, but then there was a sudden commotion from the front of the house, what sounded like shouting. Sonya cursed whoever decided now to upset the moment before she shook her head, "Guess it'll have to wait, Johnny." He didn't look too happy about it either.

Sonya ran to the front of the house, with Johnny on her tail before seeing a fairly common sight. Only, it normally meant some bad shit was about to go down.

Scorpion had found his way to their hideout.

Sonya frowned, but seeing as Scorpion was surrounded by Sub-Zero, Jax, Kung Lao, Liu Kang, and Jade she didn't think they needed his help. Even if he was undead and resurrected by magic. Liu Kang spoke up, drawing Sonya's attention to him first, "What are you doing here, demon? Are you here to give our location away to your master?"

Scorpion stood there, in attack stance, but didn't make a move to strike. Again, something unusual happening today. Sonya began to suspect she was dreaming, but reality soon caught up to her as the spectre rumbled, "I am not here to fight. I merely came to give a warning."

Sonya snorted, earning herself a few glances before stating the obvious, "A warning? Half the time you've done nothing but try and kill us." The entire time Sonya hadn't realized that Sub-Zero had been eerily quiet. The man was also in attack stance, and she could tell by the glare he was giving Scorpion that he wanted to pummel Scorpion into little bits of flesh.

Eventually, Sub-Zero spoke up, hatred and disgust mixed in his voice as he spoke, "You're about to die for what you did to my brother, demon. I will kill you for what you did." Sub-Zero was already summoning frost to his hands before the spectre retorted, "I took vengeance as he was the one who killed my clan! Along with you." The spectres eyes narrowed as Sub-Zero shook his head. "Now -that- is impossible. I've never been to the home of the Shirai Ryu."

Scorpion, even still surrounded as he was, dropped his guard just the tiniest bit as he stated, "So then the blond males assumption would be correct, if you're not lying that is."

Many pairs of eyes were seen glancing among each other before Jax was heard asking, "Wait, you know where Jay is?"

Scorpion just stood there before saying, "I know who took him, but not where he is."

A familiar voice boomed from behind the group, surprising a few but making them all relatively glad to hear it, "Then I suggest we find out where he is, and if he is in any immediate danger."

Raiden approached at a leisurely pace before eying Scorpion with mild unease, "Now that you have warned us, what do you plan on doing? You serve Quan Chi yet you're here bringing us news of a friend we are needing to track down. Why?"

Scorpion shifted uneasily on his end before locking eyes with the thunder god, "The male does not seem to believe that it was the Lin Kuei who murdered my clan. In fact, he had me take him to the home of the Shirai Ryu so he could, as he put it, 'sniff out clues'. During the middle of this investigation we were attacked—" Scorpion then moved his eyes to Sub-Zero before finishing his sentence, "—by Cyrax and Sektor."

Sonya raised a brow curiously at the way Scorpion looked to Sub-Zero, so she couldn't help but ask, "What do Sektor and Cyrax have to do with anything?"

The reply did not come from Scorpion. It came from Sub-Zero, "They are part of the Lin Kuei. They are good men."

Scorpion grunted before pointing out, "They may have been good men at some point, but they are machines now."

That caused a short period of silence before Sub-Zero finally answered, "You lie! The Grandmaster would never allow such an atrocity!"

Sonya happened to catch sight of Raiden, who didn't seem so convinced. It was then that Jade suggested, "Sub-Zero, if you were to return home you could see for yourself if what Scorpion says is true. If it is all a lie…" Jade just left her sentence hanging in the air after that.

No replies were given since one of the aforementioned robots was teleported in just about ten feet away from the gathered group. Sonya didn't need to point it out though, considering all eyes were immediately drawn to the yellow android.

Sonya stole a glance to Sub-Zero, but from where she was standing she couldn't see his face, though he did seem a bit tense. Cyrax then spoke directly to Sub-Zero, "The Grandmaster has ordered that you return with this unit to the Lin Kuei temple."

Sub-Zero asked in disbelief, "Cyrax?"

Sonya couldn't help but steal a glance to Johnny, who also saw the opportune time to steal a glance her way. He gave her a reassuring smile before they both realized Cyrax had been talking and tuned in at the end to listen, "….to the Lin Kuei temple."

Sub-Zero stood for a moment, as if processing everything before moving to stand at Cyrax's side, "I am ready." Sub-Zero then gave the Earth-realm warriors a quick nod as if to reassure them before Cyrax and Sub-Zero disappeared in a strange blue light.

Sonya sighed, yet again, before stating to no one in particular, "I hope he'll be okay." It was only then that she heard Jade ask, "Where's Scorpion?"

* * *

**A/N: It is taking me longer and longer to upload a chapter. Laziness and procrastination for the win! Anyway, R/R if you like. :]**


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